Mode and Frequency Question

[charlives]

Hi,
Does it matter which mode you're hunting in if you switch the frequency to 5kHz? Does it behave differently if I'm in Park1 and switch to 5kHz than if I'm in Park2 and switch to 5kHz? I ask because the mode I'm in stays highlighted even though I switch frequencies. Thanks!

 

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[Jason in Enid]

No. The modes are all about which end of the multi-freq spectrum is highlighted and how the ground is interpreted and handled based on the multi-freq returns. Single freq is single feq. If you have any amount of mineralization, make sure that you do a GB after you put it in the single freq operation.

 

[charlives]

Thanks, Jason!

 

[vferrari]

Yep. Just like Jason said, when you go into single frequency all the Multi IQ related "personality" associated with the Park and Field modes disappears and you are basically left with just the user settings differences. Gold mode is different, though.

 

[charlives]

Thanks guys! Do you guys have any luck using 5kHz in mineralized soil? ...as opposed to multi.

 

[vferrari]

Honestly haven't tried it much. I am generally searching for mid conductive relics in my mineralized soil so if I go single, I am generally using the higher frequencies (15 or 20 khz) in Field or Gold mode, but have had the most success in Field 2 multi.

BTW - in mineralized ground there are no absolutes as far as frequency choice is concerned - that is really a function of the targets of interest, their depth, site iron and trash density, and a bunch of other variables. In general, lower frequency signals travel further in in the ground (regardless of mineralization) and are ideal for picking up larger targets and high conductors. But mineralization (depending on the type and the constituency of other components of the soil see below) can also cause more scattering of low frequency signal more than high frequency signals. Small mid conductors can be more readily acquired using higher frequencies in all soil types but higher frequency signals will still travel only so far in soil due to soil signal attenuation. So the bottom line is there is no pat answer on the ideal frequency to use in mineralized ground. Multi-frequency detectors, like Equinox, tend to handle mineralization best, and typically in Multi IQ mode.

Note also that "mineralization" is a very imprecise term, knowing the type of mineralized ground is important if you really want to adjust the detector to handle it - and unfortunately, Equinox provides no clues as to mineralization type because the ground balance number is basically meaningless and Equinox provides no Fe3O4 meter.

Another thing I forgot to mention previously, when shifting Equinox to single frequency, you also lose Iron Bias functionality altogether (the user setting adjustment disappears) and you may notice that the Equinox is less forgiving of a less than optimal ground balance as multiIQ is more stable under a wider range of ground balance settings that deviate from the actual soil conditions. HTH.

 

[Jason in Enid]

If you are in tough ground conditions, you should absolutely be using a multi-freq mode. The EQX was originally designed to use the 20 and 40K single freqs for nugget hunting. But at the very end, the testers figured out the multi-freq mode actually performed better (probably due to the better ability to handle bad ground), so the programming was changed to make prospecting mode a multi-freq as the standard.

From the what the testers have stated in the past year, they found the multi outperformed the single freqs in every type of hunt. The only place I have found single to be of benefit is when dealing with strong EMI.

 

[charlives]

Yep, I always use multi but at the 35 sec mark in this vid she says low frequency penetrates deeper in mineralized soil, hence my question.

 

[Jason in Enid]

LOL, that video is shite. All frequencies go the same depth. Frequency selection is based on how well it excites a response in the target. It's also about how well it excites a response from ground minerals. The multi mode does a comparison of responses from ALL the channels to remove the ground signal response and give you the best target response.

 

[vferrari]

LOL, that video is shite. All frequencies go the same depth. Frequency selection is based on how well it excites a response in the target. It's also about how well it excites a response from ground minerals. The multi mode does a comparison of responses from ALL the channels to remove the ground signal response and give you the best target response.

While I agree that the video is pretty basic and perhaps has some flaws, it is physically true that higher frequencies are attenuated more in soil and do not penetrate as deep as low frequencies. That is just a physics fact and is documented widely. However, all the other variables, including ground conditions and target type, size, composition, shape, orientation, and the presence of other junk targets and iron all combine to eliminate any absolutes when it comes to whether it is better to use high or low frequency in mineralized soil, but I think it is generally accepted that Multi IQ/Multi Frequency is usually the way to go vs. single frequency in mineralized with a few certain exceptions. A little anecdote, at one time, ML considered that single frequency would be the default mode for Gold search profiles, ultimately ML decided that multi was the way to go, and since most natural gold is found in mineralized conditions, perhaps that is the reason why ML ultimately went with Multi as the default. Just a thought.

 

[charlives]

I have to say, after only an hour trying multi and 5 kHZ over many targets in quiet dirt, the multi IDs way better than 5kHz, but aurally 5 would alert me to high many times when multi gave a mid sound. Targets ended up being pull top rings and the like. I'm going to go back to some of my colonial sites and see if I can't pull some deepies in 5khz.

 

[vferrari]

I have to say, after only an hour trying multi and 5 kHZ over many targets in quiet dirt, the multi IDs way better than 5kHz, but aurally 5 would alert me to high many times when multi gave a mid sound. Targets ended up being pull top rings and the like. I'm going to go back to some of my colonial sites and see if I can't pull some deepies in 5khz.

That's a good plan. The thing about the Equinox is that it is like having several detectors in one package. I often have success by hitting a site with one detector and then hitting it with another with different characteristics. With Equinox and Deus you can just use different mode settings and frequencies and accomplish the same thing without even making a trip back to the truck. In fact, if I get a hit, I use the User Profile slot on Equinox to store an "interrogation" program and hit the target with the alternate mode to see how it reacts to make a dig decision. In your case, you could search in multi and store a 5 khz program in the user profile slot (or vice versa) and quickly alternate between the two to see which is giving you better results or use that method to "interrogate" iffy target signals. There are lots of possibilities with a detector like Equinox. HTH.

 

[glabelle]

There's another thing to consider. I was just out with Monte in Utah. He has a new "test" ;-)

This consists of 5 silver half dollars in a small plastic jar (so you don't know what is in it).

A couple of detectors were tried on it - including the 800. Some gave iron indication. The 800 in Park 2 gave a can slaw indication, bouncing around between 14 and 23 or so. His Fors Core (15KHz) picked it up with no problem.

I then used 5KHz single frequency - and it picked it up just as well.

I believe what is going on is a wrap-around at the higher frequencies. At 15KHz and above (with the 800), it looked like iron. So again, the crown cap "trick" may work for something like this - if you are expecting a possible cache of coins. Flip to 5 or 10KHz to check. I didn't try 10. This needs more investigation.

 

[Jason in Enid]

There's another thing to consider. I was just out with Monte in Utah. He has a new "test" ;-)

This consists of 5 silver half dollars in a small plastic jar (so you don't know what is in it).

A couple of detectors were tried on it - including the 800. Some gave iron indication. The 800 in Park 2 gave a can slaw indication, bouncing around between 14 and 23 or so. His Fors Core (15KHz) picked it up with no problem.

I then used 5KHz single frequency - and it picked it up just as well.

I believe what is going on is a wrap-around at the higher frequencies. At 15KHz and above (with the 800), it looked like iron. So again, the crown cap "trick" may work for something like this - if you are expecting a possible cache of coins. Flip to 5 or 10KHz to check. I didn't try 10. This needs more investigation.

It has nothing to do with "wrap around". Its about response zones. The response to those halves also is highly dependent on the position of them. If they are spread out, you'll one response, if you stack them neatly, you'll get something else. If you scan then on-edge you'll get a different response too. Look at this spreadsheet I made when the detector first released. The test on multiple halves was with them neatly stacked.



The problem is that these really big conductive targets are outside the scope of the processors and they don't understand how to handle it. Everything in this hobby is a trade-off. If you want the best response and separation for coin and jewelry sized targets, you are going to suffer loss in those outliers. This isn't unique to the EQX or even to minelab. Almost every top-end detector suffers the same issue.

At least if we think there might be a cache of coins, we know that 5Kz at least gives of a shot without switching to a different detector entirely.

 

[treasureguy56]

I would be very interested in your results